Rejani Raveendran Loses GOP Primary In Wisconsin

India-West News Desk
MADISON, WI – On August 13, businessman Eric Hovde secured the Republican nomination for Senate, setting up a matchup with Democratic incumbent senator Tammy Baldwin.
On his way to getting the nomination, Hovde defeated University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point student Rejani Raveendran, who came in third garnering 34,587 votes, accounting for 6.3% of the total.
Hovde, a multimillionaire with a career in banking, loaned his campaign $13 million of the $16.7 million total he has raised. In stark contrast, Raveendran, , pursuing a degree in political science with a certificate in international relations, ran a grassroots campaign with limited financial resources. She is reported to have raised $37,912, including a $10,000 personal loan, according to media reports.
Raveendran, who chairs the UWSP College Republicans group, is a single mother and has worked as a registered nurse and midwife. She immigrated to America from India in 2011 and has experienced poverty and homelessness, a background she believes distinguishes her from Hovde.
Raveendran had claimed to The Hill, that county Republican party chairs were instructed not to display her campaign signs or literature, a move she had dubbed as “a big obstacle.” A spokesperson for the Republican Party of Wisconsin stated that the signs weren’t allowed because Hovde was endorsed at the convention.